Cries of an Ancient Heart
by Blue September
Summary: Find out the origins of Yami, Seto, Bakura, the Ishtar family and the Milenium items! Chapter5: Seto finally tells Yami how he feels but how will he react? Bonus: picture with chapter Seto/Yami Alert: Message about fic!
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first fic ever so be as harsh as you want to be, you don't have to sugar-coat anything. 

**Disclaimers and Credit: I do not, in any way, shape or form own Yu-gi-oh or any of the characters mentioned hereafter, except for, Siamun, Netikerty, Pamiu, Seti and Nachash. All of the other characters (though not their names) came from _Yu-gi-oh or __Forbidden Memories the video game._**

For more information on sources and a little more info on the fic check out my details.

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Chapter1

_Memphis__, __Egypt__ 3000 years ago.___

"_AMUN!"_

The half open passage-way was littered with the sound of small sandals slapping against the polished limestone floor, as the young prince sprinted towards his destination.

Normally, as a child of high birth, the child would have been tended to mostly by nurses and tutors, and would have lived a relatively carefree life thus far. However, it was not so with this one. From a young age it was very obvious that the child was different; special. He had sharp, scarlet eyes. His tanned skin, though pale compared to that of the normal Egyptian's, was beautiful none the less. His hair was of a dark maroon hue; so dark, in fact, that it was almost black and its true colour could only be determined when the light reflected of at its edges. Finally, golden bangs and streaks outlined his small face and complemented each of his burgundy spikes. He truly was a unique child, but not only in his looks; in his intelligence and abilities as well.

He was very observant and wasn't easy to fool. He saw through all of the magic tricks that the so called _magicians were supposed to entertain him with. He was an exceptional strategist and had very good judgement for one of his age. He was a hard opponent to beat at many games. He easily understood most of the discussions that his father had with his councilmen, and he liked to sit in on their meetings from time to time; only from time to time, though, as they did tend to get rather boring. Most children his age had yet o start attending school[1], but he already excelled in all of his lessons. _

If these weren't enough reasons to fear the child, he also possessed exceptionally strong dark abilities, even more so for one of his age, even if he was of royal lineage. You see everyone possesses these abilities, though it is stronger in some than in others. It tended to be especially strong in those who were members of the royal family. Some believed him to be even more powerful than his father, and this included his father himself, though he would never admit to it publicly. This was why he had is son start training at such a young age. From the moment he had met his first and only surviving child he sensed that there was something important that his son was meant to do. He didn't know what it was, but he made it his personal mission to see that the boy would be prepared for all of the challenges he knew would come his way.

To the average person, who had only heard stories of the child he would certainly have appeared to have been a very frightening being, indeed. However, his parents and the other residents of the palace, where the child grew, knew that he was actually very kind and quite compassionate and would never even hurt a fly.

"Late again little Amun?" questioned a soft female voice.

            "Yes Mother," the five year old admitted as he ran past a tan-skinned woman with long, dark hair, and her group of attendants who all giggled as he passed. Netikerty[2] watched with loving light brown eyes and a smile on her face as her only child hurried frantically down the sun-light corridor.

            'Oh, why does Yarah[3] always give me so much work?' the boy thought. 'He knows that I have to take my lessons from Pamiu[4] after his, and he still gives me so much to do that I'm always late and I hardly ever have time for lunch.' He let out a frustrated sigh and quickened his pace.

            "AMUN!" yelled the deep male voice once again.

            "I'm here," Amun panted, as he burst through the heavy double doors of his training hall, trying to catch his breath.

            "You are _late!" stated a small old man; his voice sounding much harsher than one would have imagined it could have by looking at his gentle old face. Although he was a very kind-looking, old man, it was obvious from his dark purple and gold headdress and matching attire that he was none other than the High Priest of Egypt himself and the main tutor to the prince of said Kingdom. Though his abilities paled in comparison to that of the Pharaoh, and even the prince, he was still very powerful and commanded great respect._

            "Sorry, Pamiu."

            "Yes, you are always sorry, my prince, and still never on time." He sighed. "I just don't know how you can expect to become a good ruler some day if you can't even be on time for your appointments. I must say that I am very disappointed-"

            "But it isn't my fault!" Amun was rather peeved at being blamed by now and having a hard time controlling his temper. "If Yarah would just stop giving me more work than he knows could possibly be done within our assigned time, maybe I _could get here on time. I tell you so every day, but you don't seem to hear me. So, maybe if you would JUST __CLEAN OUT YOUR EARS AN-"_

            "**_SIAMUN-PA-SHERI[5]__!" a rather deep voice yelled angrily, cutting him off._**

            'Uh-oh,' was the only thought that came to the young prince's mind as he turned to his left to stare into angry blood red eyes, very similar to his own. The man he was now facing was of average height with dark skin. His head was adorned with short, unruly, black hair restricted only by a heavy golden crown with a rather basic Horus eye in the center, signifying his position.

            "F-Father?" Amun managed to choke out. "W-What are you doing here?"

            "Don't play innocent with me Amun," warned the Pharaoh. "How _dare you speak to Pamiu in such a manner?" Amun suddenly found that his feet were __very interesting. "Not only is he your teacher, he is also a very good friend of mine. I may have expected such horrid behaviour from another child, but certainly not my own. I must say that you're behaviour right now has made me absolutely __ashamed to call myself your father." That one hurt. Amun struggled to find words as he bit back the tears that were trying to escape from the corners of his eyes. Nothing hurt him more than to know that he had let his father down. Pamiu knew this and took pity on him._

            "Siamun-"

            "No," Amun interrupted his mentor, "my father is right. Prince or not, you are still my elder and therefore deserve my utmost respect. I had no right to speak to you like that. It was wrong of me and you've taught me better. Please, accept my apology," he stated, his gaze never leaving the floor. Pamiu studied his pupil tenderly, and then answered.

            "It was very responsible of you to own up to your mistake. I accept, but next time, please try to control your temper and explain yourself calmly and rationally. Understood?" asked Pamiu.

            "Yes, sir," Amun answered, still not daring to look up. Noticing this Pamiu sent a pleading look over to the child's father, who understood and went over to his son. Siamun placed a hand on the small child's shoulder, and when he looked up, gave him a forgiving smile.

            "Come now. We should begin," he stated simply, walking to the center of the large, open hall.

            "Begin?" the child questioned, following behind his father, "I don't understand and you never answered my question. What _are you doing here father? Are you taking my lesson today?"_

            "Yes," he answered coming to a halt, "It is time to start the next stage of your training, and Pamiu and I have both agreed that it is best that I teach you as much as I can." He turned to his friend, who nodded in agreement.

            "Next stage? I still don't understand what you mean." Siamun turned around so that his back was no longer to his son.

            "Pamiu informs me that you have fully mastered your abilities, correct?" Amun nodded. "Show me." Obligingly, Amun outstretched his arm, palm face-up, and as if it were nothing conjured up a small sphere of dark energy, which gave off an eerie violet light. As quickly as he had done this he closed his palm and the ball of energy dissipated. "Very good," the pharaoh responded, eyes shining with pride his voice had hidden. "Now, you know of the Dark Games, you've seen me play them before?" Amun gave another nod. "Well it is time that you know how to play the most important one of all. Pamiu will teach you the rest, but this is the most difficult and dangerous of them all. It involves summoning various kinds of creatures from the Shadow Realm, though a friendly game can be played without summoning, and using them in combination with other magics and traps in order to defeat your opponent. Are you following me?"

            "Yes for the most part, but what do you mean by summoning?"

            "Here, let me show you," he replied and walked to one of the ends of the hall. It had ten blank stone panels on the floor lined up in two rows of five. On the wall behind the panels their appeared to be some sort of counters. The opposite side of the hall was basically a mirror image of this side. "Do you see these counters on the wall behind me?" Another positive response. "Each player is given a certain number of points at the beginning of the game and these counters keep track of the points. The first player to reach zero loses. Now as for the summoning there are two ways to do this. The first is through a ceremony, in which many people channel their magic to give the creatures life. With the second, one must use one's own magical energies to do this and in doing so your life is directly connected with that of your creature. Now, watch and see." With that Siamun closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly. Amun could only watch in amazement as one of the stone panels raised itself and then slowly turned around to reveal a man in an armoured suit holding a long staff. Just as the boy thought that things couldn't possibly get more exciting, the panel began to glow and the shape distort until it formed the creature that had bean depicted in stone only moments before. Amun stared with eyes and mouth both wide. His father stifled a chuckle as the curious child walked over to the creature and poked him to make sure that he was real, and he was.

"Wow! Father this is amazing!"

"Thank you," he replied moving over to his son and the creature. "Amun, this is the Black Magician," he said gesturing to the man kneeling before him. "He has been a faithful servant of mine for many years. He has served me very well and now he will do the same for you."

"M-Me?"

"Master?" came the obviously surprised voice of the Black Magician, but he was quickly silenced by his master's raised hand.

"My decision is final," stated the pharaoh. "Me son will need good allies and I know of no other creature I would trust more with that responsibility." The Black Magician looked at his former master and understood. He was actually quite honoured. He stood, gave a small smile, bowed and with a flash of light returned to the same stone panel from whence he came. "Well, Amun, do you understand everything that I have just told you?" Amun nodded excitedly, but then quickly started to frown.

            "Father, I don't… I want to know… why? If the games are so dangerous, why do you play them?" the child asked, his voice obviously laced with concern. Noting this, Siamun crouched down to his son's level and pulled him into an embrace.

            "I play them because I must," he whispered softly, "And, unfortunately, someday you must as well. It is the way of the world, but maybe it will not always be." He held his son for a moment longer and then stood. It was a tender moment that most people would not be allowed to see, but the pharaoh had known Pamiu since he was a child himself, and he knew that he could trust him with anything. Unfortunately, the warm atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by a loud growl.

            "What was that?" wondered the old man, as his eyes searched the room for the source of the noise. Siamun was also looking around frantically trying to find the answer until he heard the sound again, and looked down.

            "Sorry," the child stated, his face rose coloured, "I was so busy doing Yarah's work that I didn't have any time to eat lunch today." The pharaoh and the priest exchanged blank looks, just before bursting out into a fit of laughter. Amun gave his father and his mentor an indignant pout which only seemed to cause them to laugh even more hysterically. After the two regained their composure, they all left the room in search of an early dinner.

_To be continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

I know a bit dull but this is just the beginning there's a lot more action in the next chapter. Also **Seto comes in for all of you fans out there. ****Bakura will be in the chapter after that.**

I did a bit of research when I wrote this to make it slightly tangible (Note: **_SLIGHTLY). I don't claim to really know anything about Egypt except a few things that I've learned here and there. Anyways…_**

[1]Yes, Egyptian children, whose family could afford it, went to school.

[2]"Netikerty" means "_She who is excellent"_

[3]I needed a name and "Yarah" is Hebrew for "_teacher," apparently. _

[4]"Pamiu," just means "_Old Tom Cat." (It sounded cool… what!? ^_^')_

[5]"Siamun" means "_Son of Amun," so "Siamun-pa-sheri" means__ "__little son of Amun," or a bit more simply "__Siamun__ Jr." (I think). It's his full name and for those who want/need to know Amun is one of the forms of Ra/Re._

For more detailed information check out the references that I used.

Oh yeah I really need some **help for the next chapter PLEASE! Check out my details for more info.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hey there! Yup, it's another chapter and I hope that you enjoy it. If you're a **Seto fan he's ****in this chapter! Don't worry he's NOT TOTALLY evil in this story. He's actually a pretty GOOD guy and I won't make him suffer too badly either because he's not my favourite character. I may be weird, but I LOVE to inflict pain and suffering into my favourite characters. Am I a freak? \\Well you are talking to yourself.\\ Shut up! So anyway expect Yami to suffer a lot (emotionally/physically). MUWAHAHAHAHA! I guess the pairing is basically ****Seto/Yami, but they don't really do anything unless of course ****you want them to. Tell me if you do and I'll consider it. Enjoy!**

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form own Yu-gi-oh or any of the characters mentioned hereafter, except for, Siamun, Netikerty, Pamiu, Seti and Nachash (I called him Panek before). All of the other characters (though not their names) came from _Yu-gi-oh or __Forbidden Memories the video game___**

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Chapter2

            The year passed by rather quickly and Aumn swiftly became quite skilled in the Shadow games. Over the year, he was able to gain quite an impressive array of creatures and magics as comrades. This had involved making quite a few trips to the Shadow Realm. Some of the creatures joined him readily, while others put up a hard fight. In the end, though, all of them were very loyal. The magics he had either had to learn or find and contain. It was sometimes very dangerous, but both his most trusted creature, the Black Magician, and his mentor were always by his side. However, the effects of these prolonged periods in the Shadow Realm were beginning to become apparent on the latter of these people.

            The now six year old Amun hurried through his training hall door. "Pamiu! I'm on time today, see?" he declared, breathing hard. "Pamiu?" he asked the old man, who was currently seated in a small chair near one of the large stone columns that held the heavy ceiling. The old man's head darted up suddenly, only now noticing his young pupil's arrival. 

            "Ah, I see that you're on time today my young Highness," he said, eyes dulled with obvious fatigue.

            "Yes, Pamiu. I just said that," Amun answered softly, moving closer to his old friend. "Are you alright? You don't look very well."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should rest today. I'm sure that the Black Magician and I will be fine if we go to the Shadow Realm without you and you can join us again when you're feeling be-"

            "I will do no such thing!" Pamiu yelled. "Your father would have my head if I ever did anything as _foolish as that and besides I am perfectly fine. I'm simply a little tried and my back is a little sore, but those are all things that come with age."_

            "But Pa-"

            "No buts. Come, let us be off," said Pamiu rising, but he stopped short and clutched is his chest.

            "Pamiu! Pamiu, what is it?" Amun questioned, very worried.

            "It's nothing. My chest just feels a little tight. I'm sure it will pa-_Ah" he exclaimed suddenly and fell forward, still holding his chest._

            "Pamiu, what's wrong? What's happening to you? Please tell me. What can I do?" asked Amun tears now forming as he knelt beside his fallen friend.

            "I'm afraid… there's nothing you can do, my Prince. It is just my time to go."

            "Go? Go where? I don't know what you mean. There has to be something I can do to help you." Amun looked around frantically then got an idea. "Black Magician, come forward, _now!" As he had the year before the magician emerged and stood before the small boy. When he opened his eyes and saw the child face he immediately knew something was wrong. Taking in the entire scene, he just as quickly knew exactly what. "Black Magician, hurry go find my father and tell him to come. Pamiu is hurt." The magician gave a sharp nod and left._

            "I am sorry Amun," Pamiu managed, his breaths now coming short, "but… I must take my leave of you now… Osirus beckons me to him."

            "What do you mean? You're not going anywhere. You're still here and I won't let anyone take you."

            "Thank you, my boy, but that is not your decision to mak-_uh… You were an excellent student… and… may time… be… your ally." That said, he closed his eyes and drifted off into and eternal slumber. All that Amun could do was watch helplessly._

            "Pamiu? Wake up. Say something! Pamiu! **_PAMIU__!"_**

            It had been over two months since Pamiu's sudden death and things still had not returned to normal. Upon reaching the training hall, Siamun had found his son desperately trying to wake his mentor. It took a long time for Siamun to calm him down and explain the situation, and since then he had neither spoken a word nor allowed even the smallest smile to grace his lips. It left the once lively palace a rather dreary place.

            Pamiu had been a very highly respected man and his death was greatly mourned over by all in the kingdom. So, in order to honour his old friend, a grand feast was held. (Actually it was more like a festival, as everyone was invited) The pharaoh decided that this would be as good a place as any to announce the tournament that would decide the new High Priest. Usually, this role would have been granted to the Priest's eldest child, but Pamiu had had no children. Though he was old his death had not been anticipated quite yet, so he had yet to finish his training of Amun and start training an apprentice. Since children who went to school were taught by priests anyway most of them were skilled in the Shadow Magics, though some more than others, and also had a good idea of how the temples operated.

            "Attention!" the pharaoh started, from his position behind a very large table, adorned with a white tablecloth. To his left sat his wife and to his right his son, his face looking as solemn as ever. Beside them both, along the rest of the table, sat the other officials, who managed the other provinces of Egypt, along with their families. Along another table, on a lower level, in front of them all sat the rest of the pharaoh's council. Everyone was silent. "As I am sure you are all aware, the reason we are all here is to honour a great man and a beloved High Priest, who has now departed on his journey to the afterlife. Unfortunately, his departure has left us with the difficult task of finding a suitable replacement. Therefore, I take this opportunity to announce that fourteen days from today there will be a tournament of Magics and Wizards to decide who this shall be. All entrants must be knowledgeable in the operations of the temples and the last person to remain shall be named High Priest of this land. I wish you all well, and now, on with the celebration!"

            After that there was a lot of buzzing from the crowd as people started to discuss the tournament. Netikerty stood and went over to her son who was staring blankly at his plate, his food barely touched."

            "Amun," she said tenderly, as most of the other inhabitants of the table were currently either dancing or chatting somewhere else, "you must eat something. I don't want you to get sick." She sighed when she got no reaction, and turned to look at her husband. He simply shook his head in a way that said to leave him be, and then turned, himself, to a figure that had just walked up beside him.

"Hello Siamun," greeted the figure, "It's been a while." Siamun looked at the man.

"It's only been two months Seti," he replied.

            "Yes, but two months can seem like an eternity away from good friends," Seti replied in mock seriousness. Siamun rose, his face expressionless. Together they walked though the doors behind the table into a more private area where they could speak. As soon as the doors closed behind them they both burst out laughing. Neither of them was really sure what about, but they did anyway. Being the pharaoh of Egypt didn't tent to leave a lot of room for a lot of close friends, but the two men had known each other since childhood and they were as close as brothers.

            Seti was a tall man, taller than the pharaoh in fact, with deep blue eyes and dark, shaggy, brown hair. He had been the son of one of the former pharaoh's council members and after his father had passed away he had taken his place.

            "It's good to see you my friend," started the pharaoh. His smile faded for a moment, but was quickly replaced. "How are things in Meydum?" Seti knew him too well, though, and saw through him easily.

            "They're fine, but that's not what I want to talk about now," he said. "Siamun, what is troubling you? Is this about Pamiu? I'm sorry. I know that he was like family to you."

            "Hmm. In a way it is about Pamiu, but it's not me. Amun isn't taking it well. I haven't been able to get a word out of him since I found him with the body." He exhaled deeply and rubbed his temples. "I wouldn't admit this to anyone else, but… I honestly don't know what to do."

            "Hey, don't worry yourself like this," Seti said comfortingly, with a pat on the shoulder, "Just give the boy some time and I'm sure that this will all work out." He gave his friend a small smile, which was gratefully returned. Then he looked for a different subject to discuss. "Wait, I haven't told you yet."

            "Told me what?" Siamun inquired.

            "About Seth."

            "What about Seth?"

            "I told him all about the tournament and as soon as he heard he started training like mad."

            "Training? But isn't he a little young to be going for the title of Head Priest. He is only nine. And besides, I thought that he was going to take your place on the council after you've passed."

            "Yes, I thought so too," Seti started, "but you know these children nowadays. He's so stubborn and he's determined to make his own title." He chuckled proudly.

            "Did you tell him that if he wins he'll have to face me in the final round and that he'll also have to move here to Memphis?" asked Siamun.

            "Yes I did, but all it seemed to do was make him even more determined to win. I couldn't even get him to stop training to come here with us. I'm not worried about him, though. He is quite a skilled player and he has yet to be defeated. Not to mention he spends most of his free time studying at the temples at home anyways, so he definitely knows the temple policies inside and out."

"Is that so?" Siamun said rubbing his chin. "Well, I wish him good luck, even if he doesn't need it," and they both smiled and once again returned to the ceremonies.

Two weeks later the tournament was held in the main duelling area of the central temple[1]. It was more like a stadium to be precise. It was huge and rectangular in shape, with an open roof. The duelling arena itself was set up in pretty much the same manner as Amun's training hall. In the centre of one of longer sides was a box especially for the royal family and other close friends. As such it was currently occupied by Siamun, Netikerty, Amun, Seti and his wife, all dressed in their finest robes. The rest of the seats were packed with observers, with the exception of the front-most row which was packed with competitors from all over Egypt. Some of them had come from great distances, using their creatures to get them there in time. What they all had in common were their goals; to become the next High Priest of Egypt.

The tournament lasted for two days and it was indeed impressive. There were many skilled duellists, and even thought the battles were without summonings, they were still quite exciting. However, there was one young duellist who caught the eyes of everyone in the audience; a small young boy. There was no doubt as to who he was. He was almost an exact replica of his father, except that where his father's hair was a bit untamed, his was smooth and neat, and where his father's eyes were warm and friendly, his were sharp and determined. He was none other than Seth, son of Seti and he was taking the tournament by storm. He had won all of his matches without breaking a sweat. Amun, who had not found anything that could hold his interest for the past few months, found himself waiting in anticipation every time the other boy stepped up to the platform.

In the early hours of the second afternoon, the competition was coming to a close. With one final blow, Seth easily became the victor. The crowd cheered loudly as the boy stepped forward to receive his prize. Siamun was about to rise and announce the final stage of the test when he felt a small hand on his own.

"Father? Please may I take your place?" Amun requested.

"Amun?" said Siamun, in surprise.

"Please father? May I please challenge this boy in your place?" he begged. Siamun was about to say no, until he looked over to his wife who seemed to be giving him a pleading look of her own.

'Well,' thought the Pharaoh, 'This is the first time he's even spoken in months. Maybe this will do him some good.' "Alright then. Go on," he finally replied. He could have cried tears of joy when he saw the wonderfully gleeful expression on the child's face as he ran off. After Amun was on his way he stood to make his announcement. "Young Seth, you have proven yourself as worthy of the title and I will admit that I am quite impressed with your skill."

"Thank you sire," responded the brown-haired nine-year old with a small bow.

"Yes," continued Siamun, "however there is still one more battle to be fought and this time you must actually summon your creatures. Usually, you would go head to head with me, but this year there has been a slight alteration." Everyone gasped in surprise as an even smaller figure emerged from an opening below the royal box and strolled up to the already small blue-eyed figure. "I hope that you will find my son a worthy opponent."

'His son? _That is the fearsome, all-powerful prince of Egypt that I've heard so much about' thought Seth. 'I guess I should listen to mother more when she tells me not to listen to gossip. Those rumours can really get out of control. Tuh!' he reflected, looking at the fragile looking boy coming towards him, 'I can't believe that I actually have to duel this little __kid. He doesn't even look like a challenge. How hold is he anyway, __five? Oh well, I'll jus have to show everyone here that even the "Great Prince of Egypt" can't stand up to the all powerful Seth!' He let his lips form a small smirk. Amun saw this and gave a smirk of his own._

'This guy probably thinks that I'll be a pushover,' he mused 'but I'll teach him not to prejudge people.' "It's good to finally meet you," Amun started, extending his arm.

"Likewise I'm sure," Seth accepted, so as not to anger his father who he knew was watching him intently.

"So you are Seth, Seti's son correct?" Amun asked.

"Yes and you are his Highness Siamun-pa-sheri," came the reply.

"Yes, but I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Amun."

"Whatever." Amun was about to retort, but he was interrupted.

"Alright, take your places," came his father's voice and so the two did just that. "Now, _begin!"_

It was a long and difficult battle. They both started at 8000 life-points a piece, but Amun had managed to gain the lead having 3000 life pints where Seth only had 2700. They were both beginning to tire, but neither would show it.

"Cursed Dragon, attack the Dark Clown Master Sagi, _now!" yelled the prince. Seth grimaced slightly as his life points dropped to 2500, his clown having powered up by his Darkness Generator. "This match isn't as easy as you thought it would be is it Seth?" Seth stared at the other for a moment then started to laugh, which greatly confused everyone._

"I admit," he began, "I didn't expect you to last this long, however," he paused to examine the newly drawn tablet that had materialized before him, "this is as far as you go. For now, I summon the ultimate creature, the Legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon!" All that anyone could do was to stare in awe as the stone tablet became a gigantic, white, bird-like lizard. It gave a screeching roar and took off, soaring high above the arena. "So what do you think of my Blue Eyes? It's the most powerful creature in the game. You'll never defeat it. Hmm, now which creature should I attack first. Tough one." His eyes roamed over Ammun's side the field. 'Let's see. He has that Black Magician of his in defence, some other creature face down in defence, a magic or trap hidden from me and that dragon. I guess I should end this quick, so the only thing to do is…' "Attack the Cursed Dragon!" And in a blast of intense light the smaller dragon was no more. "Ha, ha, ha! Why don't you just give in?"

"In your dreams!" growled Amun. He had never been the type to give up before and he wasn't going to start now. 'Darn. There's nothing in my hand that can help me out of this, but I won't give in, I _won't. I'll just have to rely on whatever I draw next.' With that a new tablet appeared and revealed itself to him. 'What? But this isn't mine. This creature belonged to…' He thought for a moment. 'Oh, now I understand "may time be your ally." So this is what he meant. Thank You,' he thought with a smile._

"Are you going to play or not?" asked Seth impatiently.

"Oh yes I am, and it's a creature that's going to bring your dragon down." Seth looked shocked. "Go Time Magician, Spinning Time Roulette." All eyes watched closely as the arrow sped up, the slowed down and then… "_Yes! Go Time Magician: Time Warp!" Suddenly, a huge distortion appeared above the field and dust flew everywhere. When the dust settled everyone stared in amazement at the aged Black Magician and the empty space where proud Blue Eyes once stood. "It looks like your ultimate creature wasn't so ultimate after all, and with your points at 1000 and mine at 2000, it seems that I am in the lead again" jeered the young prince. For a moment, anger flashed in Seth's eyes, at the loss of his Blue Eyes, but then it was once again replaced by a confident smirk, which surprised Amun to say the least._

"Ha, so you managed to defeat my dragon after all. Well, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't impressed."

"Uh… thanks," Amun blushed.

"Don't let it go to your head, though, because now I call forth my second Blue Eyes White Dragon!" and as before the creature appeared. "Don't be too disappointed, now. You did dive it a good shot. Go, Blue Eyes White Dragon, _White Lightning!"_

"It looks like Seth has this one won as well," stated Seti, admiring his son proudly.

"So it seems," agreed Siamun dejectedly. 'Argh, there's now way he can win now,' he thought as he watched the attack head straight for his old partner. 'Wait…'

"Not so fast," came the prince's voice, "I summon the Demon Rain which negates your dragon's attack."

"What? But how can you summon anything on my turn?" Seth asked, fuming.

"Simple. I'll explain. When I used the Time Magician id didn't just destroy your dragon it also caused my Black Magician to age and become the Black Robed Sage and I can use my Sage's ability to summon any magic I choose, once in my turn and once in yours."

"_Grr. No way… well it won't help you for long. You can't hold out with magic for ever you know?"_

"Oh, I know. I don't plan to either 'cause now it's my turn and I call upon the Dark Knight Gaia." From the tablet emerged an armoured man on horseback. "But I'm not finished yet, because now I use the Sage's special ability to induce the Ritual of Chaos. Next I sacrifice my Knight and my face down creature, Kuriboh, to the ritual, to summon the Chaos Soldier, with an attack power of 3000 and 2500 in defence." Everyone, including the parents of the two boys, was stunned into silence.

"Ha! A lot of good that will do you," said Seth confidently, "They're equally matched."

"Don't be so sure."

"Huh?"

"You forgot about my last face down card." Amun slowly turned his last card over. "Go _Force!"_

"What? What is that card?"

"Huh! Force is a magic that allows me to take half of the attack power of one creature and add it to another creature's, and I choose to take half of your Blue Eyes' attack power and add it to my Chaos Soldier's. So now my Soldiers attack is 4500, while your dragon's is only 1500. Well it _was a fun duel," Amun added nonchalantly, "Chaos Soldier attack with __Chaos Blade!" The spectators shielded their eyes as the final creature was reduced to nothing but dust and ashes. _

With the match settled the remaining creatures simply bid their master farewell and returned home. As soon as the crowd registered what has just happened they applaud wildly for both boys. They were both truly amazing young duellists.

"Well Seti," Siamun taunted, "it looks like Seth isn't undefeated anymore."

"Blowhard," Seti muttered under his breath.

"Eh? What was that?"

"Oh… nothing," Seti replied, laughing nervously.

Netikerty sighed as the two started to argue. (Not too loudly, though) 'And I thought that Seth and Amun were supposed to be the children.' From the look Seti's wife had on her face it was apparent that she was thinking the same thing. '_Men!'_

Getting over his slight embarrassment, Amun went over to shake a still-in-shock Seth's hand. "We'll have to do this again some time, eh Seth?"

"What? You just beat me. I'm nothing but a joke now, so why would you waste your time."

"Nonsense. You were the winner of this whole event and you're the new High Priest. I don't think that anyone would be stupid enough to laugh at you after that." Amun reassured him with a wide grin. "Friends?" Seth stared at him for a moment, looking for some hidden motive.

"Yes, friends. But I'm still going to beat you eventually."

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

Ah yes, another chapter done. I don't think it flowed as well as I would have liked. Anywho, in the next instalment, **BAKURA! So for all of you fans out there, he should be here by next Sunday; at least I hope so. I'm very sorry if whatever happened in the duel has no bearing whatsoever on what could happen in an actual game, but I don't know any of the rules, aside from what I've learned from watching the American version. (_shudders) Any other card info came from __Edo__'s Yu-gi-oh Page! (Check it out here: http://www.stormpages.com/edhrzic/Yugioh.htm.) and __Millennium Power (Check it out here: http://www.milleniumpower.com/)Don't expect the character's decks to match perfectly either._**

[1] "central temple" Yeah I made that one up. So sue me. (DO NOT TAKE THAT STATEMENT LITTERALLY!)

Please **review if you liked it (or if you hated it), so that I know I should keep going (or keep going anyway to spite you). I've got almost all of the chapters planned out already, but I am still definitely going to need help writing at least two more duels. ****_PLEASE HELP!_**

****

Finally, I have a **picture of a young Amun (Yami) that I drew a while ago but it kind of goes along with my story. If I have time, I'll draw more, but check them out under fanart at http://www.nocturnalsoldier.org/yugioh/fanworks/index.html. It should be up by now, but it seems to take a really long time to get put up. (Over a week!)**


	3. Chapter 3

Konnichi wa! Thanks to those who reviewed. In this chapter we finally learn about **Bakura's past and about the ****Millennium items. There's quite a bit of ****death in this chapter too. Hum, do I sense a trend here? So far this _is _****shonen-ai**** (Seto/Yami), but ****non-yaoi. Sorry to the yaoi fans, but I don't really know how to write a lemon/lime. **

To **petite-hikarie, yes some names are Hebrew, because, one: I needed names and, two: I thought, 'Hey the Bible (and the movie _Prince of Egypt ^_^U) says that the Hebrew people were force to work in Egypt for a while so why not use Hebrew names?' So I did. By the way, not all Hebrew were treated terribly and a few had some good positions. (e.g. Joseph) So I gave one of them the position of tutor in the royal house. For more info check out this link: http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/slavery.htm. I think that things will start to make bit more sense at the end of the chapter. I found translations for Hebrew names here, http://www.20000-names.com/male_hebrew_names.htm, and at an online translator that I can't find anymore, gomen. (Just do a search on __Yahoo) The site for Egyptian names is the second one listed in my stats. I also put a little explanation as to Seth's ambitiousness in here. I couldn't make it very long, because I couldn't really think of anywhere to put it, without really screwing-up the flow. And, thanks for the great compliment that you gave me in the last chapter of __In the Middle Kingdom. It made me really glad to hear._**

Thanks to** highqueenofthegods for adding me to your favourite authors list. I feel so special.**

Thank you **cloud9. I worked a really, really long time trying to construct that duel. At first I was going to have Amun use Dark Energy as his final card, but then I found out that the Chaos Soldier wasn't a dark-type creature so it wouldn't work. It took forever to find another card!**

Thanks as well to you **anonymous reviewer for your remark about Seth.**

Finally, since I forgot to do this last chapter, thank you **Angel-soul03 for being my very first reviewer.**

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form own Yu-gi-oh or any of the characters mentioned hereafter, except for, Siamun, Netikerty, Pamiu, Seti and Nachash. All of the other characters (though not their names) came from _Yu-gi-oh or __Forbidden Memories the video game.___**

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Chapter 3

Soon after the tournament Seth was inducted as the new High Priest of Egypt. Not surprisingly, he was rather proud of his accomplishment. All his life, people had thought of him as nothing but a spoiled, rich kid that couldn't do anything for himself. The few other children he knew used to tease and taunt him, because they their teachers favoured him. They all figured that his father had something to do with it, when in actuality he was simply very clever for his age. He wanted to prove to them that he'd worked for what he had and didn't need his father's name to stand on. He was finally happy, because now he had. He was only nine years old and he held one of the most important positions in Egypt, _and he'd gotten it all on his own. 'That ought to shut them up,' thought Seth to himself as the ceremony was slowly coming to a close. _

As one of his duties, other than caring for the temples and such, he was given the Thousand Year Rod to protect, as Pamiu had secretly done before. It was a small golden staff, with an orb at the top that had the eye of Horus marked on it and two wing-like pieces protruding from the sides. As soon as his fingers had touched the object he felt a sudden surge of energy flow though him. It was like nothing he had ever felt before; like there was something being woven into the very fibre of his being. Though he didn't know what it was, he knew that if he had anything to say about it, the object was never going to leave his side.

The years rolled by rather peacefully in Egypt. There were of course the usual conflicts with neighbouring countries, etcetera, but nothing out of the ordinary. Seth and Amun quickly became the best of friends, causing mischief here and there, but they never forgot their heated rivalry. If it wasn't Magics and Wizards it was something else; Sennit, a game similar to modern day checkers, Hounds and Jackals[1], _archery, and__ heck, anything else they could find. Unfortunately, very game seemed to have the same outcome; Amun whistling innocently, avoiding eye contact with a rather peeved looking Seth. How they still managed to remain such good friends, was a mystery to everyone. Well, everyone except a certain brown-eyed queen, who warmly recalled her childhood days, when a certain future pharaoh and his best friend were exactly the same way. 'Not that they've changed much over the years,' she thought to herself. Sadly, however, all good things must come to an end and this peaceful time was not to last. _

In the darker recesses of the happy palace all was not as well as it appeared to be. At the back of a small room lit only by a solitary flame two shady figures were engaged in a discussion. One was tall thin man, with beady eyes and a long hard face.  He wore long dark robes and a tall headdress, of the same navy colour, with a Horus eye in the middle and a golden extension that was reminiscent of a, faceless, horned cobra. This man was the pharaoh's third in command, after Pamiu, his trusted Royal Vizier, Heishin[2]. The other was slightly smaller, with broad shoulders, and dark oily looking hair. He was dressed rather plainly except for a strange pendant that he wore around his neck. It was a large ring of gold, with five small spear-heads hanging from it and a triangle in the centre, also engraved with the Horus Eye.

"Are you ready, Nachash[3]?" said Heishin to the shorter man.

"Yes sir. I will leave tonight," he answered.

"Excellent. Now the pharaoh and the brat are leaving for Giza tomorrow. Keep close to them and when they have their guards down _kill them both," commanded the vizier._

"Yes Master Heishin, I remember."

"Good, but don't forget the most important part of all. _Bring me the Puzzle!"_

_A few days earlier.___

A rather odd looking Hebrew teenager carefully walked into the back of a humble, but comfortable home, trying his best not to drop the batch of newly finished pots he was balancing. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown and his hair, which reached the middle of his back, was as white as the petals of an Egyptian lotus[4]. 

"Is that the last of them Baruch[5]?" asked a familiar dark haired man.

"Yes father, it is," said the boy, finally relieving himself of his load. The thirteen year-old wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. It had been a long day, and being the son of a craftsman wasn't easy. He always had to carry things all over their house/workshop, or deliver things to their customers, and if he wasn't doing either of those things he was learning how to become an expert craftsman, just like his father. His father made various things, mostly different kinds of pottery, but if he saw the opportunity to make a little extra money he could craft some very fine daggers. He could also make other things too, but nothing that would really help to put food on the table, so he really only did those for his own personal pleasure. Baruch recalled those memories fondly. When he was younger his father used to make small, clay, toy-people for him. They were all immaculately detailed and not one of them was ever the same. He remembered that when he would look at them it seemed almost as if the little people were alive and he would sometimes talk to them. He knew that he looked different, and hated it when people stared, so he preferred to keep to himself a lot and consequently the small creations were pretty well his only friends. He knew that it was strange, but they had been a great comfort to him after his mother had died. No, not died, had been _killed. A scowl reached his face as he remembered that day, five years prior._

He was returning home with his mother from the market. She had needed help carrying some of her goods so Baruch had gone with her. At the time he was carrying a few too many things in his arms, as he had a tendency to do, and a melon managed to drop from his hand and roll into the middle of the street. His mother, a tall, dark-skinned half-Egyptian woman with short, dark, brown hair and kind honey eyes, saw him and went to go pick it up. Big mistake! Just as she bent down to pick of the fruit a small golden chariot, charged down the street at a terrifying speed. The driver didn't even hesitate. He just kept moving towards his destination, most likely the royal palace to speak of '_important' matters, with the pharaoh. Baruch slid to the ground and sat at the side of the street, the items he had held long since forgotten. He simply stared, mouth gaping at his mother's bloody corpse, her screams still echoing through the corridors of his mind._

Baruch came out of his reflections when his father called out for him. He released the fist he had unconsciously been clenching and went from the back, into their actual home. He was a bit unhappy when he saw the man who was in there with his father.

"Good evening, _Master Heishin," Baruch started and bowed. He grimaced inwardly, though. He loathed having to act as if he thought that these so called __nobles were higher than him. He hated nobles, but knew better than to disrespect __this man. This man meant money. Whenever he would come by he and Baruch's father would have a private discussion and then he would give him a lot of money. Afterwards his father would sometimes leave for hours, sometimes days, even weeks, but there was always food on the table, so he tolerated him._

"Ah, Baruch I see that your growing into quite a fine young man," said Heishin patronizingly. The boy simply eyed him.

"Baruch," called his father again. "Here," he said handing him a large pouch of what appeared to be gold, "Go put this away."

"Yes sir," he answered taking the money and once again returning to be back.

            "Alright Nachash," said Heishin to Baruch's father, "Meet me three days from now; the usual time, the usual place." With that he turned and left. Soon after, Baruch returned from completing his task.

            "Father?"

"Yes, Baruch?" answered his father.

"Will you be leaving?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"A few weeks. Three at the most."

"When?"

"Three days from now."

"Alright."

"Take care of everything here for me," his father told him ruffling his spiky white locks. Baruch laughed and attempted to swat his father's hands from his hair.

"Of course."

_Back in the Present.___

            "Oh Father, _please hurry up. I can't wait to finally see Giza!"_

            "Calm yourself, Amun," said the pharaoh, his arms around his queen, "Patience is a virtue, you know."

            "Your father is right," came another voice.

            "Ishtal[6]!" announced Amun, running over to the white haired Egyptian, energetically. "Can we go now?"

            "Yes Your Highness," laughed the man known as Ishtal. "Everything is ready Sire," he said turning to face Siamun.

            "Thank you Ishtal, we will be with you in a moment," the pharaoh replied to his loyal personal bodyguard. Ishtal turned and left to wait for his master. "We'll see you in a few days Love," he said, his attention now back on Netikerty.

            "Do be careful," she said leaning in for a gentle but passionate kiss.

            "_Yuck!" yelled the prince, holding his throat and apparently gagging. "That's __so gross!"_

            "Is that so," stated the queen, leaving her husband's arms and going over to her son. "Then I don't suppose that you'll like this too much." Without further hesitation, she grabbed his face and landed a large kiss on his cheek.

            "_Ack!" he yelped wiping his cheek furiously. Both his parents only laughed._

            "Come on," stated Siamun starting to leave, "We shouldn't keep Ishtal waiting." With one more, quick embrace from their wife and mother, father and son embarked on their journey, blissfully unaware of the danger that awaited them.

            The trio had been traveling for most of the day, and currently Siamun and Amun were riding in front with Ishtal trailing a bit a far behind, for a reason though.

            "Siamun," started the pharaoh. Amun was worried.

            'Whatever this is about it must be very important.' Amun mused, 'Father never calls me Siamun, unless he's very angry or very serious and I don't think I did anything wrong. Unless, of course, he found out about that little prank that Seth and I played last week.' "Yes father?"

            "Tell me, how do you feel about the Games of Darkness?" Amun was a bit surprised by the question so took a while to think about it.

            "Well," he began, "I know it may seem strange, because I'm good at them and all, but I don't really enjoy them as much as everyone probably thinks I do."

            "Oh, and why is that?" his father pressed.

            "Well it's just that they're so dangerous, and I know that you have to play them all the time and I worry that you'll get really hurt sometimes," he said staring strait ahead. Siamun was taken aback. He hadn't realized how worried Amun was about him, all the time. Amun continued. "The stakes are just too high and it seems like things are getting too hard to regulate now. It just seem like there's too much potential for a real disaster."

            "I agree," stated his father.

            "You do?" Amun asked looking up at him.

            "Yes. That's why I asked you in the first place. I wanted to see if you felt the same way, so I could decide whether or not I should give you this." That said he pulled out a large bundle of cloth, from a satchel, on his steed. Unwrapping it revealed a miniature, inverted pyramid with the Horus eye once again engraved on one side, and a cord looped through a hole on what would have been the bottom if the pyramid were right-side-up. 

            "What is it?" questioned Amun, gazed fixed upon the golden object.

            "This is known as the Thousand Year Puzzle and it is one of the seven Thousand Year Items. Seth has one as well. You've seen it."

            "You mean the Rod?"

            "Yes exactly. The items were created long ago by a powerful sorcerer. He believed, as we do that the Games would become too dangerous and tried to seal the Shadow Realm away. Unfortunately, there were some that wanted the power of the Realm, for themselves and wanted to use the items to get it. So, he was killed before he could finish. He managed to seal the creatures into the tablets that we use today, but no more. His work and the items were lost for a time, but most of them have been recovered now. I've has been searching for his records on how to seal away the Shadow Realm, but so far I've been unsuccessful." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Here," he said, leaning over and placing the puzzle around his son's neck, "I've always felt that this should be yours. I was originally planning on giving it to you for your tenth birthday, but I feel like this is a good time to do it and I've learned to trust my instincts. Besides, your birthday is only a few months away." He smiled. "Take good care of it."

            "I will Father," Amun answered still somehow entranced by the item at his chest. "I promise."

            A few days passed and the travelers are almost to the Pyramids of Giza.

            "Father, how much longer will it take us to get there?" Amun whined as he rested in the Oasis they had stopped. It was getting late and they had to set up camp.

            "About a day or two," he replied. Amun groaned, but smiled after. Even if it was getting a little boring, at least he and his father were getting to spend some quality time together. As said before, being royalty didn't leave a lot of free time, so it was a rare occasion when he and his father were both not busy at the same time and could spend it alone together. Well, Ishtal was still with them, but he couldn't really expect for the Pharaoh and his only heir to be allowed to go off traveling with absolutely no protection. So it was still a welcome change, he thought to himself as he sat near the fire that Ishtal had just finished building.

            "I'll go see if I can find us any fish in the water hole," stated the guardian.

            "Alright Ishtal, thank you," said Siamun as the other left.

            "I hope he can catch something good," thought the prince out loud.

            "Yes I do to-" Siamun stopped when he noticed something flash out of the corner of his eye. He quickly sprang to his feet and charged towards his son. "_AMUN, look out!"_

"Wha-_uh!" Amun was winded when his father's body sent them both crashing to the ground. "Father what was that for?" he asked groggily pushing his father off of him. "Father?" He shook his shoulders. "__Father, wake up!"_

            "I'm afraid that he won't be doing that any time soon," said a man who had suddenly emerged from the bushes.

   "Who are you?" Amun asked turning around. He gasped when he noticed that everything around him had rapidly faded to black. "We're in the Shadow Realm."

"Very perceptive, boy," said the man.

"Tell me_ who you are, __what you want and __what you did to my father __now!" Amun demanded._

"Temper, temper, my prince." Amun growled. "Really there is no need to get worked up. I'll answer your questions. My name is Nachash and what I want is the Puzzle, around your neck. As for what I did to your father, I used the power of my Thousand Year Ring to trap his soul inside this." Saying that he held up a small stone figurine that looked exactly like the pharaoh. Amun gasped again.

'The Ring must be another of those items that Father was telling me about,' he thought to himself.

"Now here's the deal I'll return your father's soul if you hand over the Puzzle."

"_Never! Besides, I have a better idea. I'll play you for it. Magics and Wizards. If you win you get the Puzzle and if I win I get my father's ba[7] back!"_

"Foolish boy! You've got a deal. Let's duel!"

The duel did not last very long. Nachash had obviously not known of the boys skill or he wouldn't have accepted the challenge. Simply put, Amun won easily. Nachash was angry now, humiliated by a child.

"I won the duel fair and square, so it's time for you to live up to your end of the bargain. Give me my father's ba." Amun demanded.

"_Grr. You want his soul? Then take it!" Angry, Nachash purposely, threw the figurine to Amun, much too high and much too far. _

"_NO!" The world seemed to slow almost to a halt as he watched the small object fly though the air. He tried to catch it, but he turned too quickly and it caused him to stumble over his own feet and plunge face-first into the dirt. He felt his world shatter around him as he heard the small statuette crash to the floor and break apart. He looked up and saw the figure in pieces before him, just out of his reach. Everything suddenly felt so distant. He felt light-headed, and it took him a while to recognise the sound that was pouring into his ears. __Laughter? A horribly, maniacal, cackling laughter from the man who had just taken away something that he held so dear.  No. He could not… would not believe that._

"Bring him back," said the boy faintly.

"What?" was the response.

"I said, Bring _Him **Back!" he said again, with more force.**_

"Ha!" barked the murderer. "I wouldn't, even if I _could. His soul is lost to this plane forever." He continued to laugh mockingly. Amun couldn't take it. He felt his anger rise and his heart pounding in his chest as a sudden power rushed thought him. He snapped. The Puzzle shown brightly and he stood, slowly and menacingly, which caused Nachash to cease immediately._

            "I'll make you pay," he said, his voice low and crimson eyes filled with anger, locked on Nachash. "You don't deserve to live, but death would be too good for you as well." He raised his hand and a familiar eye glowed on his forehead. "So, _snake, spend eternity in anguish, in the __Shadow Realm!"_

Nachash gripped his head. It felt like someone was running a hot skewer right through his brain. He screamed loudly, but his eyes quickly went blank and he fell to the ground, dead.

Almost a month passed and his father still had not returned home. Baruch had long since run out of money and business was slow. He'd ended up resorting to swiping a few things here and there to survive. The "skill" seemed to come naturally to him. Perhaps it was because he had spent his life as a craftsman's son and so his hands were precise and his fingers nimble. Still he was worried about his father. It wasn't like him to be gone longer than he had said he would be.

One night, Baruch was busy making his getaway after stealing some dinner. He ran all the way home and when he got there he was surprised to find none other than…

"Master Heishin, what are you doing here?" asked Baruch.

"Oh my dear Baruch," said Heishin feigning sympathy, "I have some terrible news."

"This is about my father isn't it?" he enquired.

"I'm afraid so." Heishin stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this Baruch, but your father has been… killed." Baruch gasped and slowly let Heishin's words seep in. He had to hold on to his dining table and sit to keep himself from falling forward.

"How?" he managed to say, barely above a whisper.

"That Pharaoh and his brat! Your father was on this way to Cairo to run an errand for me and he must have run into them. They told the council that your father tried to rob them and that he murdered the Pharaoh. I am truly sorry." Baruch was in shock. He could hardly believe what he was happening. His father and his mother were both dead, and why? All because of those _nobles; those nobles who only cared about themselves and didn't give a damn about who they stepped on to get what they wanted. They hadn't even given his father a chance to be judged fairly. His father would never have done something like that. He gritted his teeth and his body tremble with rage. Heishin took note of this with a twisted grin. "If you wish I can help you," he interrupted Baruch's thoughts, "I can help you get revenge for what they did to your father and in the process make you a very rich man?"_

"Why-Why would you do that for me?" asked the boy, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Because I can't stand them any more than you can. I want to see that spoiled brat thrown from his high horse and forced to see what it's like on the other side." Heishin answered. "If you join me you can gain unimaginable power." From his robes he pulled the Thousand Year Ring.

"That was my father's!" exclaimed Baruch.

"Yes it was a gift from me to aid him in his endeavours. It will guide you too, if you will help me. Will you?" asked Heishin, slowly slipping the cord over the boy's head.  Baruch stared at the ring as it started to emit an odd golden light. Images of his father and mother flashed through his mind and brought him to his decision.

"Yes I will help you."

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] I got that from my encyclopaedia, _Britannica, at home. These are all games and sports played in Ancient Egypt. _

[2] I'm sorry that I used the name Heishin, but I really didn't feel like making up another character or name, so I 'borrowed' this one from _Forbidden Memories. _

[3] "Nachash" is Hebrew for, "_the serpent."_

[4] White Egyptian lotus – _water lily of __Egypt__ to south-eastern __Africa__; held sacred by the Egyptians {a.k.a.: white lotus, Egyptian water lily, white lily, Nymphaea lotus} I typed in white Egyptian flowers on __Yahoo and got this! ^_^_

[5] "Baruch" means, "_blessed."_

[6] This is NOT Malik (or Terrance *spits on the name*) it is his ancestor.

[7] Basically your soul or part of it anyway. Nachash used soul because he's supposed to be Hebrew, not Egyptian and they had different beliefs.

_Phew! Do you guys know how hard it is to work out plot holes? This chapter took forever to write. I'm exhausted. I really hope that it isn't __crap! _

**Next chapter, Amun becomes the ****pharaoh and it's _a lot _****harder than it sounds! There is also a tad bit more ****death. Actually, as far as I know, there should be at _least one death per chapter from now on._**

And now a rant: Was anyone else as angry as I was yesterday about the way the 4Kids hacked up those two episodes of the show AND about that high pitched, nasal voice that they gave Malik. What more can they possibly do?! –End of Rant–  

Please **review my work and tell me what you thought.**


	4. Chapter 4

Welcome to the fourth instalment of _Cries of an Ancient Heart. Sorry for the wait. If you read the authoress' notes at the end of the last chapter then you should know what happens in this chapter. If you didn't then you're probably not reading this one either. This chapter took a lot of thought and it originally was going to have a bit more torture, but when I thought about it, I realized that it didn't really add anything to the plot, so I didn't bother. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention last time, this chapter also sort of **explains the ****God Cards. I go into more detail about them later though. Before I forget this too, my ****drawing of Amun is finally up at ******__Kyokou****__ Geemu (http://www.nocturnalsoldier.org/yugioh/fanworks/index.html) under fanart. I'm still called __Blue there. If for some reason that link won't work, it's also at ****__Media Miner, but there I'm__ Blue September and the picture is called__ Amun. I actually drew it long before I even thought up the story, but it still works. Check it out!_

**Petite-hikarie, thanks for reviewing and for the advice. I took it and went over chapter 3 and made a few MINOR adjustments. By the way, I spend _way too much time on research, that's how much. It's kind of funny, your choice of words about me 'doing my homework,' because that's the one thing that I've actually been neglecting, __MAJORLY._**

Thank you, **highqueenofthegods, for reviewing again. I'm grateful for every one that I get.**

Finally,** tsunamimbw, a new reviewer. Once again thank you for the compliment and I agree with your comment about there always being one or more of 'the gang' in most of the 'What happened back then,' stories, which is exactly one of the reasons that I wrote this in the first place. Don't get me wrong though. As I've said before, I adore some of those stories.**

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form own Yu-gi-oh or any of the characters mentioned hereafter, except for, Siamun, Netikerty, Pamiu, Seti and Nachash. All of the other characters (though not their names) came from _Yu-gi-oh or __Forbidden Memories the video game.___**

**Warnings: Brief, non-graphic nudity (a.k.a. '****fluff' for this fic). It's nothing dirty, just cute. So, you see that gutter over there? *_Points to gutter.* Go and get your mind out of it. Also _****_major sap alert!_**

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Chapter4

Having heard screams from the vicinity of their camp Ishtal had returned to find a strange, swirling, black dome covering the area. Trying to get inside proved to be fruitless as touching it only seemed to lead to either coming straight out on to the other side, or coming out on the same side. With no other option apparent he had decided to wait and see if anything would happen. After what felt like forever, the vapour-like dome dissolved and revealed a man he didn't recognise lying lifeless on the ground and the young prince, completely dazed, holding another still form he quickly recognised as the pharaoh. He hurriedly moved over to his fallen master to check for any signs of life, but found none. The only thing left to do then was return to Memphis. 

Upon their arrival the two informed the council of what had happened. Having enough presence of mind to decide that it was best not to leave it, Amun had brought the Ring back with them and it was decided by the council give it to Heishin for safe keeping. At the time he really hadn't given it a second thought as he really had other more pressing issues on his mind.

When he finally got the chance he went to go see his mother who he thought had not been told anything yet. However rumours spread quickly through the great palace and before he had even gotten to her they had already reached. 

"_Siamun_!" He barely had a chance to close the doors of her chambers before he was encircled with a pair of familiar arms and roughly pulled into a tight hug. When he regained his bearings he realised that someone was kneeling before him and weeping into his hair.

"M-Mother?"

"Amun, my little Amun," she sobbed, pulling him even closer. "I thought that I had lost you both[1]!"

"Please forgive me Mother," he begged, fighting back his own tears. "I tried. I really did, but… but… I failed. I… I couldn't… I didn't save him." He paused a moment to take in a breath and steady himself. He had to be strong. Now that his father was gone it was all up to him. "But don't worry," he said, finally returning the embrace, "I'll take good care of everything, I swear. Everything's going to be just fine. You'll see." They both remained in that position for a long time, each trying to comfort the other. Things would never be the same.

The next seventy-some-odd days[2] were undeniably the hardest the young prince had ever gone through. His father's sudden death had caused a lot of turmoil in the land and he felt that it was his responsibility as heir to the throne to sort everything out. To add to the stress that that was causing him, his mother didn't seem to be getting any better. For the past few weeks she had been trying to cope with the loss of her love and failing miserably. Amun tried to help her through it and she would give him a smile whenever he was around, but he could always tell that it was forced. It wasn't long before he couldn't even get that and within nine or so weeks she was bed-ridden. Everyone figured that she was having a hard time letting go so they simply did their best to make sure she ate and got rest. If all of these hassles weren't bad enough Amun still had one more obstacle: the Test.

Seth was looking all over for Amun. He had been very distant over the past few weeks, which was understandable, but recently he'd seemed especially so. So far he had checked his room, his training hall and a few other places that he knew Amun liked to go, but so far he had no luck.

'Well, he probably went someplace where he'll be left alone for a while,' he though to himself, 'But where could he go so that no one would bother him, besides me of course. _Hmm… ****__aha!" Quickly, Seth hurried to the bath house reckoning that would be the only place that no one would dare to disturb the other. Sure enough as soon as he entered he found the person he was looking for. Unfortunately, (depending on how you look at it) he was just coming out of bath [3]._

            Amun slowly climbed out of the bath, retrieved a linen towel and proceeded to dry himself off. After finally drying his face he noticed the person gaping at him from the door. "Seth, what are you doing here?" he questioned wrapping the towel around his waist.

"Ah…I-I was looking for you," Seth responded. He really wasn't sure why but his mouth had suddenly become very dry and his voice sounded a few pitches too high. The smaller boy eyed him curiously then approached him and placed a hand on his forehead. Seth, surprised by the unexpected contact, turned a shade of red that would rival Ra at sunset. "Wh-What are you doing?" he asked jumping back.

"I was just checking to see if you have a fever. You look flushed and you're all sweaty," Amun answered.

"Oh… Oh no it's nothing," he stuttered, trying to laugh at the same time. "It's just … _uh… the heat… in the bath house… __yeah… It's a lot cooler out there." He motioned to the door. Amun sighed in relief._

"That's good. I don't want you getting sick too." Seth noticed his face fall as he looked away. They both strode over to the edge of the bath and sat; Amun with his feet dangling in the water and Seth cross-legged.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Not good. She hardly talks to me anymore and barely holds anything she eats down." He sighed again and placed his head in his hands. "I just don't know what it is I'm supposed to _do now. Everything's just happening so fast… I just… I don't… I'm so confused." _

"Hey, hey don't stress yourself out like that. You're going to run yourself down if you keep it up. Now come on." He rubbed the smaller boys back soothingly. Amun looked up with a small, but sad smile.

"Thanks Seth. I'm glad we became friends."

"Aww come on don't start gettin' all gushy on me." They both laughed. "So do you think you're ready for the Test?" Seth asked effectively changing the subject and breaking the mood. "It's tomorrow you know." 

"Yes, I know and I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," said Amun. "I can't really prepare myself since no one knows what actually happens except for the pharaohs themselves, and apparently they're not allowed to speak of it to anyone after they pass."

"I suppose you're right." He paused and looked away thoughtfully for a moment. "'Mun… Promise me something," he requested hesitantly. 

"What?" Seth hesitated.

"Promise me that you'll come back alive," he stated, facing his friend again. "After all," he quickly added, "I still haven't defeated you yet." Amun chuckled a bit.

"Is that all you think about?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Alright then, _deal_."

The night didn't even seem to have happened to Amun when he awoke the next morning. Today he had to take the Test of Approval. If he was to become Pharaoh he had to prove that he had blessing from the Gods to do so. That was where the test came in.

Slowly he walked down the dimly lit corridor in an area of the palace he had never been allowed to visit before. Every few feet there was a statue of some god or other and between them stood a guard. The walls had some writing on them, but he wasn't really focusing on what they said. The assembly included the higher members of the council in front of him, including Seth, Seti, who had come especially for this, and Hieshin. Behind him were the lower members of the council and some priests. He was led down the hallway for what felt like hours, but were actually minutes. Finally they reached a small chamber. It was fairly bare. There was nothing really in it as far as he could see. A few more torches, carvings and statues adorned the walls, but nothing spectacular. The procession came to a halt and most of the group arranged themselves in lines along the sides. Then he noticed the Door. It was a huge cast iron door with all kinds of engravings on it, mainly different forms of Horus. Above it there seemed to be some sort of flame holder, but there was no light coming from it. Observing the door a bit more closely, Amun noticed that it seemed to cast a shadow. 'It isn't attached to the wall?'

"This is the Judgment Gate," spoke someone abruptly, that someone being Heishin. Suddenly, with no aid the doors creaked open. The only sound in the room now was the sound of the straining hinges. Amun was shocked to say the least. Seeing that the doors weren't actually connected to anything, the last thing he expected to se was the large empty void that now stood before him. "When you're ready _Your Highness_," said the vizier motioning towards the void.

Amun swallowed hard, but took a hesitant step forward. Then another. And another, until he was inside and the door slammed shut behind him. As soon as it had, the apparently dormant flame above the door sparked to life.

When the doors closed Amun was plunged into endless black. Unconsciously, he reached for the puzzle at his chest. He felt nothing. 'What the-' he thought. He dropped to the floor and frantically searched for the missing object in the darkness.

"Do you believe that you are the rightful successor to the throne of Egypt?" asked a voice out of nowhere.

"Who…Where are you?"

"_Answer my question!" boomed the voice._

"Yes I do. Now answer mine," she shouted back.

"Why do you believe that you are deserving of this position?" asked the voice, ignoring his request.

"_Grr. Are you going to answer my question or not?" Amun yelled, getting extremely annoyed._

"Mind your place young one. You are the one being judged. Now, answer me. Why do you believe that you deserve to be pharaoh?"

"Simple, because I am the Living reincarnation of Horus," he said standing up, "therefore it is my right; no it is my duty to succeed my father."

"If this is what you believe then you must prove it," said the voice and suddenly the area lit up and before him a duelling arena appeared. "Well step up." Amun stepped forward and onto the platform. "Let's not waste time with small talk," the voice said.

"You read my mind." He waited. "Well, aren't _you going to take your place?"_

"Do not worry I can play from where I am. We'll both start at 4000."

"Fine. Your move."

"Thank you. I call forth the Tiger Axe in attack mode." Amun looked at the monster and laughed.

"Good creature, but it's still no match for my Elfin Swordsman." An elf-like man appeared on the field, holding a heavy steel sword tightly in his grasp. "_Attack!"  The other creature was sliced and dissipated in a shower of glitter. Its master's life points dropped to 3900. The voice however seemed unperturbed and chuckled darkly._

"Nicely played child, but this is far from over."

"That's another of your creatures gone," announced Amun as the Black Magician annihilated his opponent's creature. He was breathing hard. Battles in the Shadow Realm were always strenuous; after all, humans weren't really meant to exist there.

"My turn again," said the voice. "I'll call one creature hidden and in defence and I'll place a device also hidden, but is it magic or is it a trap? I'll let you figure that out for yourself."

'_Hmm,' thought Amun, 'He's probably trying to get me to attack by saying that. It's probably some sort of trap, but what if it isn't and I leave it there. It could probably do more damage." He looked over his choices. 'Let's see. I have an arm, two legs and my Rock Soldier. __Right. I guess I'd better draw.' He eyed his newest creature and smiled. 'I'll attack, but I won't risk the magician.' "I summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon."_

"I wasn't expecting that," said the voice.

"_Ha, I'll bet. Go Red Eyes!" The large black beast opened its jaws and released a large fiery blast._

"I may not have been expecting it, but I was prepared for it." He turned over his face-down tablet. "Holy Barrier: Mirror Force!"

"_No_!" Amun watched helplessly as his attack was sent right back at him. Before any damage was inflicted upon him however his creatures came to his defence. "_Black Magician, Red Eyes_!" he called out to the magician and the dragon. But it was too late. They were gone. He gritted his teeth and awaited his foe's next move.

"I believe that it's my turn again and you've made this even easier for me than I though possible." Amun just glared. "Watch. First, I'll use Raise the Dead to call back your fallen dragon, only he's mine now. Next I reveal my face down creature the Demon Summon." The prince's eye's widened. "I see you recognize it. Yes, I have one of these as well, so I assume you know what happens next. Let two be one!" The dragon and the new skeleton-like creature seemed to almost melt together. "And they become the Black Demon's Dragon. Since I revived a creature I can't attack, it's your turn."

'Just great! What do I _do_?' He drew a tablet. '_Yes_! Always useful in a pinch.'

"Make your move boy," commanded the voice.

"I will. Sealing Swords of Light."  
            "_Tuh_! Running scared?" he mocked. "All right then. I'll simple draw a tablet as well."

'I've got to figure something out now,' Amun reckoned. 'I don't have anything useful in my hand still. He drew again and gasped in surprise. 'This is the right arm of the Forbidden One… and if I'm not mistaken, I have most of the other with me too.' He looked over his hand. 'Yes, all except one. I _have_ to draw it.' "For the moment, I'll play my Rock Soldier in defence mode."

"_Tsk_, _tsk_, _tsk_. Is that all you have left? Well it won't be much of anything after you see the tablet that I've just drawn. I play the Ward of Magic Dispelling, which removes your swords and I attack your Rock Soldier with my_ Molten Fireball_!" The soldier was reduced to dust.

'_Dammit_… uh… darn… oh _whatever_! I can't stall any longer. I _need_ to draw this card.' He breathed deeply. 'Okay Amun. You can do this. You have to. Everyone's counting on you.' Slowly the final tablet rose and revealed itself.

"Are you going to surrender child and save yourself the humiliation of defeat?"

"I don't see why I should surrender when I've already won."  
            "What!"

"Observe. I've collected all five pieces, so now summon forth The Forbidden One: _Exodia_!" In front of the small prince a portal appeared and through it came a creature of immense power. It looked like a giant living sarcophagus. "Exodia, _obliterate_!" Nothing was left standing. "It's over, so reveal yourself," Amun demanded.

"I am amazed. You are quite powerful for one of your age, but the test is not over yet," the voice stated, "You must perform three tasks in order to pass. The first, simply passing through the portal, was a test of your bravery. The second, our duel, was a test of your Shadow Skills[4]. The final will be a test of the strength of your mind."

"What is it?" asked Amun.

"Look before you." Amun looked around, but saw nothing, all the creatures having returning to their respective homes, as the duel was over. Just as he was getting exasperated, the duelling arena started to fade away and where his opponent should have been a small golden object appeared, floating in mid air. When the glimmer died down he finally realized what it was.

"The puzzle!" As soon as it dawned on him he ran towards the token. Just as he had reached it, it shattered into several smaller pieces. "What's happen-" He didn't have much time to wonder, as before him what seemed to be a giant hourglass appeared. The voice spoke up again.

"You have until the sand runs from one end of this device to the other in order to complete the puzzle."

"_WHAT! Are you __MAD? It'll take me forever to piece this thing back together."_

"Then I suppose you shouldn't waste any time," the voice chuckled. Amun just growled under his breath, but stopped and got to his task as the hourglass magically inverted itself. Frenetically, he went from piece to piece desperately trying to fit one into the other. When almost half the sand had run out he had still barely gotten anywhere. Frustrated he though the puzzle to the ground and sighed. He looked up. A bit less than two thirds was gone now.

"I can't believe I've failed twice," he whispered to himself. "I couldn't save you father and now I won't even be alive long enough to fulfill your wish. And what about mother? NO! I can't just give up," he looked up again new resolution burning in his eyes. "If I give up now what will happen to her? And Seth. I promised him I would come back and I refuse to go back on my word. A pharaoh's word is his bond." With that he once again picked up the puzzle and slowly but surely the pieces came into place. _Click. Time was almost up now. __Click. Just a few more pieces. __Click. Three seconds.__ Click. Two. __Click. One. __Click. The puzzle, now whole, once again shone brightly and enveloped him in its warm light. He closed his eyes and let his mind revel in the feeling. When he opened them again the puzzle was back around his neck giving of a soft glow, his wounds were healed and there was something heavy resting upon his head. He reached up to feel and examine it._

"Do you not recognise it, young one?" asked the voice again.

"_Hmm?"_

"It is your crown. Like your father's, it is proof that you have passed the test."

"Who _are you? Show yourself," demanded the new pharaoh._

"As you wish, Your Majesty." As if stepping out of the shadows a figure stepped forward. Amun could hardly believe his eyes.

"Father?" Caught up in pure joy Amun dashed up to his father and wrapped his small arms tightly around the man. "Father I can't believe it's really you! I thought that you were gone forever."

"Young one, you misunderstand," spoke the former pharaoh, "I am not your father."

"Wh-What?" stated Amun pulling away a bit, "But you have to be. You look just like him. How… Who are you then?"

            "I am simply a spirit sent to conduct the test. Since that is all I am I do not truly have a form and I choose to appear as whatever my subject's heart wishes me most to be. For you it was your father."

            "Oh," was all Amun could really say as he stepped back from the spirit, feeling slightly ashamed.

            "Do not feel awkward child. It is natural of you to miss your father. Believe me I have seen many a pharaoh wish for much more embarrassing things. I've seen a great one in particular wish for me to be his mother." The spirit chuckled to lighten the mood and received a small giggle in return.

            "But wait Spirit," Amun questioned, something suddenly coming to mind, "I know my father's voice and yours sounds just like it, so why didn't I recognize you before?"

"Ah yes. Well you see it is one of the properties of this Realm. It distorts everything; time, space, even your own memories."

"This place; it looks like the Shadow Realm, but somehow it doesn't feel the same, not as… I don't know… heavy. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

"Yes I understand," said the spirit, "And you are very observant. You are correct. This place is similar to the Shadow Realm, because it has some of its properties. However, it feels differently because it is somewhere in between that realm and yours, so you still feel some of the stronger powers radiating from the Shadow Realm, but it is balanced by those from your own. This realm only exists for this purpose though, to carry out the test. That is why there are so few entrances."

            "I see," said Amun. "So what happens now?"

            "Now you return home, but not before we do one more thing."

            "Uh… What's that?" inquired the curious child.

            "For passing the test you are allowed request one thing from me and if it is within my power, I will grant it." The spirit crouched down to stare him in the eye. "Consider this carefully." Amun thought long and hard.

            'I could wish to bring my father back!' he thought. 'No, he said something within his power and I doubt that a simple spirit has the power to overrule both Osiris and Anubis[5]. I could ask for wealth and power. NO! You're a pharaoh now Amun,' he berated himself, 'People count on you. You have to think about how your actions affect them. So what should I ask for?' He pondered again, 'I know.' "Spirit I know what I want."

            "And what is it that you wish of me?" the spirit asked.

"I want to know… I want to know how to put a stop to the shadow games once and for all, before they hurt any more people." The spirit looked pensive for a moment.

"I am sorry, but it is not within my power to give you that information." Amun's jaw dropped… hard.

"_What do mean 'it's not within my power!' __That's ridiculous! __How can it not be in your power to TELL me something?"_

"I am sorry, but it is not," the spirit tried to apologize.

"_Ugh!"_

"However-"

"_Hmm_?"

"I do know this. You will find the answer when the time comes and I have a gift that will help you complete your task." The spirit waved his hand through the air and before Amun appeared three small rectangular sources of light. The light faded.

"These… These look like Magics and Wizards creatures," Amun realized, taking them into his hands, "But I've never seen them before and they're drawn on papyrus." He read their inscriptions. "The God of Sun, Dragon Ra, Saint Dragon: the God of Osiris and the God of Obelisk. But these are… what are they?" 

"These are the god cards they will be the key to unlocking your destiny."

"God cards? What do you mean unlock my destiny?" asked the small pharaoh, furrowing his brow. The spirit chuckled as his form slowly faded away.

"So many questions child. You will see."

"Hey! Wait- _whoa!" Amun couldn't finish. His body was once engulfed in bright light and lifted by what felt like a strong wind._

"Don not forget speak of this to no one."

Outside the tall cast iron door a lone guard stood watch. He yawned, obviously getting bored. He was sure if something didn't happen soon he'd either go crazy or fall asleep. Then the flame above the Door went out. The guard jumped and unsure of what to do went to find someone. He ran as quickly as he could through the labyrinth like passageways until he bumped into someone.

"Master Seth," said the guard bowing, "Pleas forgive me." Seth recomposed himself from his near fall.

"What is it?" The guard looked up at the man standing next to Seth.

"Master Seti, the flame has gone out sir." The two blue eyed men gasped.

"Father, do you think that something bad has happened to Amun?"

"I don't know, but we should go and find out. You," he motioned to the guard, "You are dismissed."

The two finally arrived back at the Door and found it still closed. Seth was about to start panicking when they heard a rumbling sound and saw the Door once again open. This time, however, instead of an inky void there was a blinding light pouring out and the two had to shield their eyes. Seth chose to try and get a look through squinted eyes and noticed something coming out. It walked towards them slowly then stopped. When it did that, the doors suddenly slammed shut behind it allowing them to get a better look at the creature.

"Amun!" Seth ran up and embraced his friend tightly then pulled back holing him at the shoulders. "You did it? You passed?"

"Uh-hu," was Amun's response and a small nod. He was extremely exhausted.

"We were all beginning to get very worried about you," Seti spoke up. "You've been gone for nearly five days."

            "Five days?" replied Amun incredulously, "But I just left not more than a few hours ago; _two at the most." Seth raised an eyebrow at him._

            "Amun, it's been _five days since you left." Amun thought for a moment._

            'I suppose that this is what the spirit meant by distorting everything.' Seth turned to Seti.

            "Father, may I speak with him alone for a moment?" Seti nodded understandingly and left. Seth sighed. "Amun, there's something really important I have to tell you."

            "Yes Seth, what is it?" Amun asked, curiously, cocking his head to the side. Seth felt his stomach drop as he gazed into the smaller boys crimson eyes. They were so full of trust and now he had to break that. He didn't want to, but it had to be done and he _was the best person to do it._

            "Amun… it's about… it's about your mother."

            "What's wrong? Did something happen?" Amun questioned, his face showing his growing concern.

            "A few days after you left… I… she…"

            "_Spit it out Seth!" Amun was getting impatient now. If it was something important about his mother then he wanted to know what it was. Seth took a deep breath and shut his eyes._

            "A-Amun, a few days after you left your-your mother… her heath… i-it took a turn for the worse. She was complaining about a headache and she wouldn't stop vomiting and then she got this really, really high fever[6] and… and…" He was really dreading saying this part of the sentence. Seth opened his eyes and looked at his friend's shocked face. He exhaled loudly and put his hands on the other's shoulders. "Amun last night… she… she passed away." The miniature monarch was stupefied. "Everyone, the healers, they did everything they could…" Seth continued saying something, but he didn't hear it. It was all just too much too soon. His mind was already exhausted from is previous journey and now he had to come back to this. His whole family was gone. It couldn't be happening. Life was so perfect just a few sparse months ago. Now, everything seemed to be spinning out of control, _literally. The entire room was spinning. It was hard to breathe and he couldn't see straight. "__'Mun!" It was a good thing Seth already had his hands on his shoulders, because it made him easy to catch. He lowered them both to the ground and cradled the smaller boy against his chest. He didn't know why, but it pained him to see the other hurt so. "I know it's been hard," he whispered to the unconscious boy, "But I _will_ be there for you no matter what, my friend."_

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

I know, I know, corny ending, but that's the best way I could come up with to end this chapter. _Sheesh__, everyone seems to be dropping like flies, don't they. Once again please forgive the duel. I really have no idea as to how to structure a proper deck or how each creature works exactly. By the way, I don't know when the next chapter will be up by. I'm still kind of working out the details. There should be six chapters in all when I finish and I have the sixth chapter all planned out already, but the fifth is still iffy. So I'll update when I can. Just know this: this is where things actually start to go bad. You're probably thinking, 'You mean things aren't bad right now?' And the answer to that question is yes, that is exactly what I mean. Also, there's **another fluffy moment between my favourite ****pharaoh and**** high priest so tune in!**_

[1] Just in case anyone was wondering why she though they had both died, recall the second chapter when Seth's mother said not to pay attention to rumours.

[2] The embalming process took about 70 days.

[3] *Cat calls* Ah yes, _fluff. It's perfectly okay, though, as nudity was rather acceptable in Egypt. It's true. I found that out while I was doing some research. Oh and in case you weren't adding and stuff Seth is 13 now since Amun is 10._

[4] Not the anime!

[5] God of the underworld and the devourer of souls MUHUHAHAHAHA*choke* *cough* *cough*

[6] Can anyone guess what she has? I'll give you a hint. Its name means 'bad air.'

And now a rant: I found out what more they could possibly do (recall last rant). They could turn Anzu into EVEN MORE OF A FRIENSHIP RATTLING PRAT! They totally turned her speech to Step Johnny (a.k.a. Johnny Steps, which actually makes sense considering that in Japanese first and last names are reversed) about dancing into **_another friendship rant. Damn you 4Kids! _****_WHY!? I wonder if I would dislike her as much if I could actually see the good (a.k.a. Japanese) version of Yu-gi-oh. I still don't hate Anzu it's just that she gets on my nerves sometimes. *sigh* –End of Rant–  _**

**One more thing_. I read a fic a long while ago and I can't remember the name or the name of the author and it's __really bugging me. All that I remember is that it was also about the past in Egypt and there was a vote and it was decided that Bakura's name would be Kura. Also Yami passes out a lot. It was a really great fic only now I can't find it so if anyone remembers it could they help me out__ please._**

Please **_review!_**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, I'm back again with chapter five. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be true to my word. There is no death in this chapter. It's just SETO/YAMI _fluff ALL THE WAY_! For all of you who love **this pairing** check out the **picture** that goes with this chapter. You can find it at **http://www.mediaminer.org/fanart/view.php?id=124492 **(**Media Miner**). It's called, well if I tell you the name now, it'll ruin the chapter so find the name in my notes at the end. It's kind of **big**, so it might take a little while to load, but I'd like to think that it's **worth the wait**. Sorry, but I haven't completely figured out my scanner yet u_u'. If you like it, please review it. That said; let's move on to the reviews.

**Adrie**: Thank you very much for reviewing. I hope that you like this chapter as well.****

**Highqueenofthegods**: Thanks for the compliment and no, Yami is not King Tut, mainly, because I really know nothing about him, except that he died at nineteen, I think. (*_*?)

**M-Sama**: Wow _you_ read my story. I'm so happy! Yours is another of my favourite stories. Thank you!

**Azura C**: Thanks for checking out my first pic and for enjoying my first fic (I rhymed ^.^). As for the Yami cookies; thanks, but no thanks. I mean they'd be so cute I couldn't harm them and then I'd be upset 'cause I couldn't try them. It's a lose-lose situation. *sigh*

**Petite-hikarie**: You banned yourself from ff.net? Wow! Now that's what I call willpower. I have none of that. I'm oh so very glad that you enjoy my story so much. Thanks!

**Anonymous Reviewer**: I'll try to finish soon, but I'm not making any promises. You know "_school_" and all.

**Amethyst Sin**: I'm glad that Yami was able to help you figure out the story. Now can you guess who Seth and Baruch are? I'm sure Azura C would love to make you Yami cookies if you could.

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form own Yu-gi-oh or any of the characters mentioned hereafter, except for, Siamun, Netikerty, Pamiu, Seti, Nachash and Kiya. All of the other characters (though not their names) came from _Yu-gi-oh or __Forbidden Memories the video game._**

**Warning:** Shonen-ai Seto/Yami (No Yaoi a.k.a. no lemons).__

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Chapter5

Once again in the deep corners of the palace another meeting occurred; one not unlike the one a mere five years ago. 

"Now that you've finally gathered all of the information that I need, we can begin the final phase of process."

"_Oh_ and what pray-tell is that, Heishin?" asked the albino thief, leaning arms folded against the dank, stone wall of the small dimly-lit room.

"We must gather together all of the Thousand Year Items, and with the spells from these scrolls you found I-_we_ will have unlimited power!" said the vizier. "No one will be able to stop us and you will finally have your revenge on the pharaoh."

"And just how do you plan on getting all seven items together?" Baruch questioned. "If I'm not mistaken, two of them belong to the pharaoh and the High Priest and I somehow doubt that they'll just hand them over to you."

"Just leave that to up to me _boy_," replied Heishin, exiting the room through the small wooden door. "Soon you will have what you've waited for." He closed the door behind him.

"Decrepit, old fool!" stated the thief to himself. "Revenge? _Ha_! _Screw _revenge! Power is what I want. And if that feeble-minded twit thinks that he'll use me for his own devices and then throw me away when he's done, he has another thing coming. For when the time comes, _I_ will be the one in control."

"So you've found nothing?"

"No master, nothing," came the reply.

"And still no trace of the Ring that was stolen from Heishin?"

"No actual sightings of the item itself, but from the findings at the scenes of recent thefts at temples and tombs across the land, I am certain that it's still in use."

"_Hmm_… Well I thank you for your help," said the fifteen year old pharaoh, who was sprawled on one of the many cushions of the intricately designed couch in his large chamber, languidly drinking a glass of wine. "I'm very grateful for it. I know that sealing the Shadow Realm means locking you away from this world as well, and yet you still help me search for answers."

"There is no need to thank me Master," responded the purple haired mage, kneeling in front of the king. "It is my duty is to protect you and you will never be safe while humans still play the Games of Darkness." 

"Please, there is no need for you to call me 'Master.' You've know me since I was barely above your knee."

"Yes it's true and in that aspect not much has changed," said the magician, smirking ever so slightly. Amun glared at him a bit, but other than that let the obvious comment about his 'lack of height' slide. The older man chuckled. "If, it pleases Sire you I would like to return home for some rest," he said. "It _has_ been a long day."

"Of course," said Amun, not really paying attention as his mind had drifted off somewhere. "I wonder what Seth is doing right now," he mused out loud. Taking note, the Black Magician allowed himself another small chortle.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Amun arching an eyebrow at the other's strange behaviour.

"It's nothing Master… I should be going though."

"Alright… oh and say hello to your new apprentice for me."

"Of course. I do believe that she will be a useful and loyal ally when she is finished her training. She'll become a very powerful mage; perhaps even more powerful than myself."

"Really? I should like to meet her soon then," replied the king taking a sip of the refreshing liquid in his goblet.

"Indeed. I shall leave you to search for your _lover_ then." 

The magician probably would have been laughing outright at the expression that came over his master's face, had it not been for the fact that he was preoccupied with wiping away the fermented, fruit juice currently running down his face. Seeing that his master was still getting over his shock, he took it as a good time to make a swift exit and disappeared.

Having finally recovered from his slight coughing fit Amun took a look around and realized that his magician had departed. Slumping back into his chair, he pondered over the magician's words. '_Lover_? That's preposterous… Though, I don't think I would mind if I were,' he thought wide grin. 'How _do_ I really feel about Seth?' he wondered. 'There's no doubt that we've gotten closer over the years since we first met.' His smiled broadened at the memory, lazily resting his head in the palm of his idle hand, its elbow supported by the chair's armrest. 'But recently I've felt so different around him. Happier, I suppose, but also something… more.' He exhaled heavily, not knowing what to make of these new feelings. Was it truly 'love' as the magician had not so subtly put it? He really couldn't tell. All he knew was that whenever the older, chestnut-haired boy wasn't around, he felt himself longing to be with him. Like right now. He grumbled, finally getting frustrated with his thoughts. "This is ridiculous," he decided vocally. 'Besides, even if it was "love" Seth would never feel the same way… would he?' He made up his mind. This couldn't go on. He had to talk to Seth about this, so that was exactly what he set out to do.

Knowing that Seth was most likely busy working at the temple that was where Amun went. Not really wanting to see or talk to anyone else, he had hidden himself with a common sand-coloured robe and snuck in through one of the side entrances. Stealthily, he crept through the halls and passageways of the temple, hiding behind the large statues and pillars and constantly keeping his eyes out for the youthful High Priest. He was rather good at it as he and the other teen had spent many of their childhood days pretending to be emissaries and sneaking around those very corridors in much the same manner. After a good fifteen to twenty minutes of searching, he finally found the person he was looking for. He was about to go and speak with him as intended, but remained in hiding when he noticed that the other was not alone. 

In front of him stood a lady, who seemed to be a few years older than the priest himself. She was dressed in similar purple robes, though hers were of a lighter, lilac colour, which made her position obvious. She had dark eyes, smooth, dark skin and a hair colour that couldn't really be determined as it was all stuffed up underneath a headdress that was not quite as elaborate as Seth's gold and violet one.

Not really being able to hear the conversation from his position, Amun settled for reading their body language. Suddenly the priestess' features erupted with a bubbly laughter, at a comment Seth had apparently made. Amun felt his blood boil and for some reason found himself desperately wanting to inflict some sort of physical pain upon her right then, but deciding against it he settled for silently glaring at her. His mind refocusing on the scene before him, he noticed something that he hadn't before. Seth was laughing… _with _her. He couldn't help but stare disbelievingly at the sight. Seth was always a serious character and he hardly ever openly laughed, even with him. Now here he was doing it with this… this… _that_! If he hadn't been so angry he would have been basking in the melodious sound, but his mind wasn't on that at the moment. Then out of the blue, the young woman wrapped her arms around the tall boy's neck and kissed him affectionately on the cheek. That didn't really get to him though. I was the fact that the other actually returned the embrace. 

The monarch's scowl quickly melted to a disheartened frown. 'Seth…' He turned away, leaning his weight against the stone column and squeezed his eyelids closed. 'Well I guess I have my answer, don't I? He couldn't possibly ever return my feelings.' He sighed sullenly and opened his eyes. 'This is probably for the best anyway. At least this way I don't have to worry myself about ever losing you. I mean, I can't lose something that I never really had, can I?' Smiling sadly at this realization he turned and left.

Seth snapped his head around quickly catching something from the corner of his eye. 'Was that-' he was jolted from his thought when two feminine fingers snapped together in front of his face.

"_Hello_, Seth. Is anyone home?"

"_Huh_… What… I'm sorry I wasn't listening," he said facing her again.

"Really Seth, you have a smaller attention span than some of the children I teach[1]. What were you looking at anyway?"

"I thought I saw Amun over there," he replied motioning with his thumb to the location where Amun had been hiding before.

She looked at him questioningly, with a tilted smile. Recognizing his error Seth quickly tried to recover.

"I mean His Majesty." If anything the priestess' grin only grew.

"You _like_ him don't you?"

"_Tch_! Please, I haven't got the slightest idea as to what you're talking about."

"Don't deny it. You'd be lying to yourself if you did. It's written all over your face. And besides, you can barely go for more than ten minutes without talking to me about him with that ridiculous grin you never realize you have on your face." Seth, for once, didn't know what to say. "It's alright. I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," was all he could manage.

"No need. After all, you've done for me, I owe you. You always listen to me babble on and on about my love life for hours on end."

"I don't mind Kiya[2]. You're probably the only person that I work with who I can stand being around for prolonged periods of time anyway," he said crossing his arms, "I think that I'd have gone mad by now if all I had around were those old geezers who call themselves priests." Kiya laughed, but then got back to the subject at hand.

"You should tell him you know."

"I couldn't. Besides it could never work out. I'm High Priest and he's the Pharaoh. We'd never be able to have a decent relationship."

"_Humph_, I don't believe that for a second," said the priestess.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Seth.

"What I mean, is that I know you. You're as stubborn as a mule, and if you want something you won't let anything stand in your way of getting it. I think that you're just afraid to tell him, because he might reject you. But Seth," she continued softly, taking one of his hands in both of hers, "You don't know that for sure, and you'll never know if he feels the same unless you take the first step. Trust me." Seth didn't have a response. He simply thought to himself.

'Could he?'

Unnoticed by all, a familiar white haired figure was observing the whole ordeal from the safety of the shadows.

Having left late in the afternoon it was near dusk when Amun made it back to the palace. He did it rather swiftly and snuck into his room once again avoiding everyone. He flopped down backwards onto his oversized bed, revelling in the soft comfort of the white and navy silk sheets. His mind did not stay in that state for very long though. It quickly strayed back to prior events. Covering his face with one of the many pillows, he growled loudly. 'Why is this bothering me so much? I should be happy for Seth.' He sighed loudly and allowed himself to drift into a night of uneasy rest.

Heishin, tired after a day of scheming decided to retire early that night as well. Imagine his surprise to find none other than Baruch waiting for him seated comfortably on his bed; one leg over the other and arms supporting him from behind. The aforementioned tomb raider didn't bother to hide his smirk at Heishin's reaction.

"Glad to see you too," he said.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?" spat Heishin making sure that his door was shut tight. It wasn't safe for them to confer in a place like this, and Baruch knew it. Heishin's face contorted in anger. The boy had been getting harder and harder to control over the years. This was just another example of his stubbornness.

"Well if that's the greeting that I'm going to get then I suppose I should leave and that you wouldn't be interested in the information I have about our two favourite Item holders."

"I've told you not to come- Information?" Heishin cut himself off. "What information? And I'm warning you, just get strait to the point I'm in no mood," he added noticing the sadistically playful look coming over Baruch's face.

"Alright. Alright. I'll make this quick," he started. "Well, it seems to be that the pharaoh and the priest have quite the little drama brewing between them, _if_ you follow me." He jiggled his eyebrows suggestively. It took a moment, but Heishin's eyes did widen in comprehension.

"Well this is an interesting twist. Perhaps I _can_ use this to my advantage," he deliberated, caressing his chin.

"I thought so."

'Yes _very_ useful indeed.' "I trust you don't need directions to find your way out," said Heishin crossing the room heading towards a bowl of fruits situated on a small, round table in the middle. Not getting a response he spun around to face the other man. He was gone.

It was a long night and needless to say Amun did not get much sleep. On the up side he had managed to make himself feel a bit better, by convincing his mind that it would be better in the long run for him and Seth to remain apart. However, on the down side, his heart was having trouble accepting that as fact. His constantly conflicting emotions and lack of much needed sleep was did not leave him in a pleasant mood the next day.

Seth was in only slightly better condition. He had definitely already sorted out _his_ feelings for Amun; he just hadn't sorted out Amun's feelings for him. He's spent his night wondering whether or not to confess, and he was still no closer than he had been for the last two years. Yes, he _had_ figured it out a long time ago, after trying, unsuccessfully, for some time, to deny it. He'd been with a few people, and had his share of parents offer their daughters' hands in marriage. Many of them were very attractive, he admitted, but he could never find it within himself to accept. He knew why. It was because of _him_. 'That beautiful, ruby-eyed, sexy- _Ugh_! **Stop that**!' he berated himself, as he sat on beside the young pharaoh at their morning council meeting. 'Gods, even my brain is against me.' It took all of the self control he had to maintain a normal demeanour while in such close proximity of his secret love.

It was sometime after midday and Amun had just finished residing over a very long and tedious set of trials. He had a pounding headache and all he wanted to do was catch a quick nap before, having to tend with the rest of the days workload.

Seth was worried. He really wanted to speak with his small companion. He'd seemed irritated at something all day and was snapping at just about everyone. After searching for a while he finally caught up with the pharaoh as he headed back to his chamber. "Amun," he said once he was close enough, "I want to speak with you."

"Not now," replied the king as he continued to walk, not even bothering to look at the boy who had called him.

"Amun what is wrong with you today?" pressed Seth.

"Nothing." He wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Don't give me that _bull_. What is it?"

"I said it's nothing, so leave me be." He hastened his step. So did the other.

"Would you cut this out? I hate it when you act like such a… such a… spoiled brat!" Amun stop straight in his tracks and spun sharply around looking Seth dead in the eye.

"Well if I'm such a _brat_ why don't you just go… bother your _woman_ instead?" That said he stormed into his room, making certain to slam the door behind him.

'My… _woman_?' thought Seth, who was now _thoroughly_ confused. Now, needing answers more than ever before, he carefully entered the massive bedroom closing the door softly behind him. The guards didn't bother to stop him knowing that the closeness he and the pharaoh shared usually allowed him in without question.

Looking through the large, elaborate room and finally spotted his quarry on the balcony with his back to him. Barely stopping to deposit his large headdress on the bed, he made his way over.

"'Mun?" he asked cautiously at first. Startled Amun jumped a little, but said nothing.

'Stupid guards,' he thought. Seth folded his arms and leaned on his shoulder against the balcony entrance. He smiled arrogantly as something dawned on him.

"So it _was_ you I saw at the temple yesterday, wasn't it?"

'_Shit_!' "Maybe."

"So what were you doing there?"

"None of your business," spat the king as he stomped back into his room.

"Amun."

"Get out of my room!" he shouted still walking away. Seth, coming from behind him, grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards him, spinning him in the process so that they were now face to face.

"Let go of me." Seth just ignored him. He kept his hold on Amun's arm and placed the other hand firmly on his shoulder to keep his from escaping.

"'Mun she isn't my 'woman', as you put it. We're just friends. We were only talking ab-"

"_Humph_! It didn't look like you were just 'talking' to me," he interjected.

"Why does it bother you so much?" Amun looked away.

"It doesn't," he lied.

"Amun, look at me." He didn't "'Mun." Still nothing. Seth decided to take matters into his own hands. Sliding the hand on the other's shoulder to his chin, he gently tilted his head up so that his sapphires met rubies. Neither could say a word. They both searched each others' faces for some small clue as to what the other was feeling. Unconsciously, the two the two slowly closed the gap between them, until their lips brushed together. It was only a short contact, but they both felt as if lightning had just passed through their bodies and pulled away. Staring at each other again they silently and simultaneously acknowledged the need for more. They closed their eyes and once again joined their lips in a passionate kiss. 

Though very much enjoying the feeling of the other's supple lips, Seth desperately wanted to taste more. He ran his tongue along the soft flesh, begging for entry which was more than willingly granted. He wrapped his arms around the smaller's waist pulling him closer. Amun was too busy losing his fingers in Seth's silky brown hair to even care. Finally, when it seemed as if they were going to burst into flames from the delicious heat, they broke apart, both panting heavily. 

Still not fully satisfied, Seth slowly traced hot kisses along the other's jaw-line stopping to nibble on his earlobe. Amun could only moan at the wonderful new sensations coursing through him.

"Amum," Seth whispered softly, "I have to tell you something… I… I love you… I'm _in_ love with you."

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

Yes I am evil I know. But I like to think of this as revenge for all of the other cliff-hangers I've been forced to endure. So until next time, t.t.f.n. 

[1] Schools were run by the priests.

[2] "Kiya" means "_Jovial Lady._"

Oh yes, and before I forget, **the name of the picture** is 'First Kiss' and I think that gives a pretty good idea of what it's about. *wink* *wink*


End file.
